


The World Grows Smaller Every Day

by AlariOdonell, autumnyte, corazon_desnudo, darkjaden825698, Dreamprism, HollowK, RoodAwakening, Super_Wolf, zeldanerdster



Category: Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Beaches, Drinking, Drinking Games, Fluff, Gen, Marijuana, Partying, Round Robin, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26703760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlariOdonell/pseuds/AlariOdonell, https://archiveofourown.org/users/autumnyte/pseuds/autumnyte, https://archiveofourown.org/users/corazon_desnudo/pseuds/corazon_desnudo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkjaden825698/pseuds/darkjaden825698, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamprism/pseuds/Dreamprism, https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollowK/pseuds/HollowK, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoodAwakening/pseuds/RoodAwakening, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Super_Wolf/pseuds/Super_Wolf, https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeldanerdster/pseuds/zeldanerdster
Summary: Sean and Daniel run into the Drifters at a beach party in Arcata and have a genuinely good time for once.
Relationships: Cassidy & Sean Diaz, Daniel Diaz & Finn (Life is Strange 2), Daniel Diaz & Sean Diaz, Sean Diaz & Finn, Sean Diaz & Jacob, hints of Sean Diaz/Finn
Comments: 7
Kudos: 17





	1. darkjaden825698

**Author's Note:**

> This is a blind Round Robin project started back in June on the Wolf's Den discord server. A group of us (nine in total) all got together to co-write a small fic based around entires #66 and #67 in Sean's Sketchbook, where they talk about going to Arcata to see the ocean, and about running into the Drifters. Each of us wrote approximately 750 words (4000 characters; the length of two discord messages), and stitched them together to form the whole fic. The catch is: each person has only read the part written directly before them. I.e., the third person has only read Part 2, the fourth person has only read Part 3, and so on. So if you notice any inconsistencies in the writing or continuity, that's likely why. This was just meant to be a fun way for us to write some wholesomeness for the boys!

The ocean was always so much calmer at night. Sean had been to the ocean a number of times—some with friends, others with Dad and Daniel—but they were always during the day, with the bright sun beating down on him, warming his skin, the sounds of laughter filling the coastline. Sean could still hear the echoes now, fading into the gentle whispers of the tides against the shore.

Sitting on a boulder just off the coast, Sean doodled in his sketchbook, glancing up every now and then to check on Daniel. He’d wanted to see the ocean, so they hitchhiked to Arcata. The small California town looked like it was ripped straight out of the 1960s, but Daniel loved it. Said it felt like Beaver Creek.

Still, it was a nice break from all the running. Sean hadn’t had a moment to slow down since they left Beaver Creek, so getting the chance to just kick back and feel the sand between his toes was like heaven. If he closed his eyes and ignored the chilly breeze, he could almost imagine he was back in Seattle, just chilling on the beach with his crew. Lyla would say something stupid and he would laugh along, like they always did.

Sean tore that thought from his mind and crumpled it up like a page from his sketchbook. There was no use thinking about his old life like that anymore. As far as anybody was concerned, that Sean Diaz was dead. In his place was just a shattered reflection.

Daniel was running through the water, laughing and splashing without a care in the world. Sean envied him, envied his innocence. After everything, how did he still have the strength to smile? And how could Sean steal some of that strength?

“Sean!” Daniel called. “Come play with me! The water’s not cold I _promise_.”

“That sounds like a lie,” Sean said, but still he stood up, did a quick scan of the surroundings to make sure nobody was around to steal their bags, and took off down the beach to join his brother in the water.

And sure enough, it _was_ a lie. The water was freezing. As his bare feet touched the water, he recoiled. Daniel pointed and laughed at him, and Sean used the opportunity to dip his hands in the water and splash him.

“Hey!” Daniel yelled.

Sean smirked. “What are you gonna do about it, punk?”

“Oh I’ll show you what I’m gonna do about it.” Daniel splashed Sean back, and pretty soon they were both absolutely soaked, splashing and laughing and shit, was Sean actually having fun? It’d been forever since he had any kind of fun.

Eventually, they tired themselves out, and Sean went and got the blanket so they could sprawl out and dry off. Sean wrung the water out of his hair—man it was starting to get long. It was getting to the point where he’d usually go and get his hair cut. But it wasn’t like they had any money for haircuts, and Sean didn’t trust himself to cut his own hair. So he had better learn to rock the shaggy look, because it was probably going to stick around for a while.

“The stars are so pretty here,” Daniel said, laying on his back and looking up at the sky. “How come the sky never had as many stars back in Seattle?”

“Too much light pollution, _enano_. All the lights from the city made it difficult to see the stars.”

“So it’s like they steal the starlight?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Sean lay back and let the cool blue moonlight wash over him. He closed his eyes and took in a breath of the salty sea breeze. A gust of wind picked up, and suddenly Sean felt something attacking his face. After a bit of flailing, Sean managed to pry off the piece of paper that assaulted him.

“What is it?” Daniel asked.

The paper was a standard size printer paper, but lime green. The words were hard to make out in the dark, so Sean grabbed the flashlight from his bag. “It’s a flyer for some party,” Sean said. Probably not one appropriate for Daniel, since the flyer said there would be weed and alcohol there.

God, it’d been forever since Sean got high. The hazy mist covering his mind after smoking a joint sounded like absolute fucking bliss right now.

“A party? I wanna go!”


	2. Dreamprism

“Daniel, this isn’t a party you’d like.”

The lime green paper floats from Sean to Daniel. “It’s too dark outside. I can’t read anything.”

“Take the flashlight too, you dummy.” Sean tosses it and Daniel holds it above the paper with his power.

“Free booze and weed but bring your own bong,” Daniel reads. “What’s a bong?”

Sean sighs. No way he’d let Daniel try drugs tonight, but he’s unsure how he’ll get out of some kind of explanation. “It’s like this,” Sean says as he opens his bag and finds his weed pipe. “I mean, they’re not all this, but it’s the same basic idea.”

Daniel examines the strange item. “Oh. Yeah, I saw this in your room before. Hey, Sean, I saw this cool shell on the beach, but there was something inside it! Can we take the flashlight down there and look?”

Oh, the mind of a kid. But Sean is relieved to give his brother a _different_ science lesson instead. “Sure. That sounds good.” He places the flyer in his pocket.

The wolf brothers kneel in the sand near the waves crashing into the shore. Daniel shines the light on the creature. “What is this?”

“It’s a—" Sean pauses.

“You don’t even know, do you?” Daniel teases.

“No, no. I do.”

“Well then what is it?”

“It’s… this thing from biology class.” He knew it wasn’t an octopus—definitely not a slug—but it was some kind of mollusk. “Nautilus!” Sean exclaims. Maybe he deserved an A on that quiz after all.

Daniel continues his questioning. “And what’s this?” A small gray fish flies out of the water.

Sean chides Daniel. “Dude, it’s you being cruel! Put that back.”

Daniel is taken aback. “Uh… fishermen do this all the time, right? I’m not even stabbing it with those hook thingies.”

Sean glares at Daniel. He has a point. “Well, you’re not a fisherman. And neither am I. I don’t know what fish that is. Now put it back before I throw you in.”

“Okay, okay.” Daniel carefully drops the fish—which, unbeknownst to them, was a young chinook salmon—into the icy waters. “So when’s this party?”

Sean reaches into his pocket for the flyer but immediately feels like an idiot. His pants got soaked when playing in the water with Daniel earlier, and he put the paper right into his soaked pocket. “I think it already started. This was probably dropped by someone on their way there. Do you, uh, remember where _there_ is?” Sean studies the splotchy paper but can’t read a thing.

“So we’re going!?” Daniel perks up.

“I didn’t say that. I was just… wondering.” Sean continues to debate if he wants to drag Daniel over there or not and expose him to all… that.

“It said _Mad River_ something,” Daniel recalls. “But that doesn’t really help you, right?”

Sean curses himself for not buying a local map. “No, not really.”

“Hey! Maybe they know!” Daniel says as he spots two young women stepping out of their car in a previously-vacant parking lot—if you can call that patch of dirt a parking lot anyway.

Dang. Was that some kind of hybrid vehicle? Electric? Sean didn’t even hear it approach. Before he can stop the little wolf, Daniel is running up to the women, flyer-in-hand. At least he’s not levitating the flashlight anymore.

“Do you know where Mad River Beach is?” he asks politely.

The red-haired woman responds, “Mad River? It’s a five minute drive up this road, but… it’s too wild for kids up there tonight.”

While the women talk to Daniel, Sean collects their stuff and catches up, making the best use of his track skills. “Sorry about my brother. We’ll get out of your way now.”

“Oh, it’s no bother,” the shorter woman with black hair says. “Where’s your car anyway?”

“We walked. Took a back road.” Eager to end the conversation, Sean grabs Daniel’s arm and takes him away. “Bye! Enjoy the stars tonight.”

When they’re out of earshot of the women, Daniel speaks up.

“Come on, Sean. They said we’ll walk past it anyway. I know you couldn’t go to Lyla’s party because of me,” Daniel says with regret. “I don’t want to stop you from going to this one too.”


	3. autumnyte

“I keep telling you, that wasn’t your fault,  _ enano _ .” Sean places a gentle hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Got it?” 

“Yeah, okay,” Daniel mumbles. “But I still really wanna go! Can we? Pretty please?” 

Sean sighs and runs a hand through his increasingly shaggy hair. He searches for a shred of self-control that would allow him to refuse, but he’s worn out, and the truth is that he could use a party too. 

Maybe just for a little while. 

“If we go…” Sean crouches down to look Daniel squarely in the eyes. “And that’s a big ‘if’, do you promise to stick with me the whole time and not run off?” 

Daniel nods. “I swear!” 

“All right. Then since we’re already headed that way, I guess we can see if we find it. But if shit’s too crazy, we’re leaving… and no arguing.” 

“Yes!” Daniel whoops and pumps his fist.

Laughing, Sean rolls his eyes and gestures to the winding road in front of them. “Let’s go, party boy.” 

* * *

Daniel doesn’t complain once during the entire trek to Mad River Beach. Instead, as they walk, their steps illuminated only by a star-bedecked sky and the glow of passing headlights, Daniel punctuates the journey by pointing at every distant light they see. “Is that it, Sean? What about over there?” 

On the way, Sean has plenty of time to question his decision. How can he justify searching for some random party when they don’t even know where they’re going to sleep tonight (or tomorrow night, or the next night, or the next night)? And isn’t Daniel too young to be exposed to a bunch of booze and drugs? What if something terrible happens? No. It had been a bad idea. 

“Look… I’ve been thinking,“ Sean says.

“No!” Daniel stops in his tracks. “Don’t say we can’t go! I knew you’d try to change your mind!” 

“We’ve been walking for a while and there’s no sign. Maybe we should focus on finding a place to sleep tonight, instead. We can still go to the beach. Get ourselves a perfect camping spot.” 

Daniel pouts and glances around. His expression brightens when he spots something off to the side of the road. He grabs Sean by the arm and tugs him along a few feet. “Look!”

Sean pinches the bridge of his nose. Of course, Daniel managed to find a literal sign.  _ Mad River Beach _ . Immediately beyond it is a narrow, sandy footpath. 

Even in the dark, Sean can see Daniel’s triumphant grin, and he doesn’t have the heart to do or say anything that might make it vanish. Clasping Daniel’s hand in his own, he starts down the trail. 

“If this turns out to be a bust, did you at least have fun at the beach today?” Sean asks. 

“Oh, yeah! It was awesome. Thanks again for bringing me.”

Sean ruffles Daniel’s hair, then pauses at a faint din of chatter from up ahead. They continue along until they emerge onto a beach filled with dozens of revelers. A massive bonfire stands in the center of the group. There is dancing, drinking, kissing, and pot smoking. Tons of pot smoking.

So much, in fact, that a visible, collective cloud clings to the group. Frowning at the thought of Daniel getting a contact high, Sean mutters, “wonder if we can, like.. not breathe.” 

“Huh?” Daniel asks, staring around in wonderment. 

“Never mind.” Sean navigates them around the bonfire, giving the throng of partiers and the lingering smoke a wide berth. A few people wave or give them friendly nods as they walk by. 

Further down the beach, Sean can make out a smaller, more subdued looking group sitting in a circle around a fire pit.

“Stick by me no matter what, remember?” 

“I know.” 

As they approach, a familiar singing voice and the strains of an acoustic guitar cut through the background noise. Sean picks up speed as long, purple dreads come into view. He listens to the rest of the haunting ballad, one that has the small group enthralled.

“Wasn’t that girl from the Christmas Market?” Daniel whispers, and Sean nods.

When she finishes the song, Cassidy glances up from her guitar, locks eyes with Sean, and smiles. “Holy fuck! That you, city boy?” 


	4. AlariOdonell

“Cassidy?” says Sean.

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out,” she says, smiling at him.

“How did you get here?”

“Train hopping, how else?” she replies. “We’ve got a pretty sweet trimming job starting up nearby in a couple days. This is our last big shabang before we move out.”

Sean looks at Cassidy’s entourage sitting around the campfire. Some of them are drinking and chatting amongst themselves, others have caught on that Cassidy stopped playing and are being a little nosy, clearly trying to listen in on the conversation. Sean recognizes one of them as Cassidy’s friend from the Christmas Market, and they wave as Sean makes eye contact with him.

“Hey there, pup,” he says. “It’s been a while.”

Sean smiles and waves back. “Hey, sorry, I don’t really remember your name.”

“Ah, it’s cool man, it’s Finn,” he says. “Have a seat my dudes, you look like you could use a little chill time.”

Finn motions to an empty space between him and Cassidy big enough for Sean and Daniel. Keeping his hand on his brother’s shoulder, Sean moves between them and sits in the spot closer to Cassidy while Daniel sits closer to Finn.

“So, uh,” says Sean, looking around at the rest of the group. “Are these, like, your coworkers?”

“Ha, don’t make it sound so fucking corporate, man,” says Cassidy. “Naw, these are the friends I told you about. We all just travel together and shit, move from job to job, kind of like a little family.”

Sean remembers Cassidy mentioning something like this back in Beaver Creek. Then, just like now, it sounds like a pretty cool way of life. He starts to think about how he could get used to living like that, especially if there was work to be found. And if the money was good, it meant things could get better for him and Daniel. They might even be able to get to Puerto Lobos faster than he thought.

“Let me introduce you to our band of misfits,” says Cassidy, putting her guitar on the ground as she points to different members of the group. Her first target is a girl with neck-length black hair, some tattoos and a couple piercings. Sean is never good at figuring out ages but she has to be mid-twenties at least. “That over there is Hannah.”

Hannah hears her name and turns from the person beside her to look over at Sean and Cassidy.

“She’s been with us the longest,” says Cassidy. “Super hard worker, a little too hard if you ask me.”

“Cassidy,” says Hannah, nodding to Sean. “Next to you, anyone would look like a super hard worker.”

“Love you too, girl,” says Cassidy, pointing to the next person. This time it’s an African-American guy, also in his mid-twenties, with a coin necklace. “That’s Pennywise, but we just call him Penny.”

“Hey,” says Penny. “Don’t be giving up all my life story and shit. That’s my secret to keep.”

“Not a word, my man,” says Cassidy, moving to point at the guy sitting between Penny and Finn. Sean thinks he looks a little closer to his own age, but has way more facial hair than Sean could ever hope to grow. “This is Jake, he’s new to our group.”

He waves to Sean. “It’s Jacob, actually…”

“Oh, right, my bad,” says Cassidy. “And of course you know our dear leader, Finn. Not that there’s much to know.”

“Some people are born great, some inspire greatness,” says Finn. “But I’m just kind of fucking amazing.”

“You all seem pretty cool,” says Daniel. “I like your hair Finn! You and Cassidy both have cool hair.”

Finn pats Daniel on the back. For some reason it gives Sean a warm feeling inside.

“Thanks little man,” says Finn. “What’s your name?”

“Daniel,” he says. “And this is my brother, Sean.”

“Well it is a _pleasure_ to meet you both...again,” says Finn. He looks over at Sean and smiles. “You guys look like you could do with a little extra cash.”


	5. RoodAwakening

“Well, a little extra money would never hurt,” Sean says, looking away from the softness of Finn’s smile. “Me and my brother, we are on this road trip, so . . .”

Cassidy and Finn both laugh. 

“You don’t have to bullshit us, man,” Finn says gently. 

“You are clearly not on some vacation,’” Cassidy adds, and she pokes at one of the holes worn into Sean’s jeans. Even with the heat from the fire, Cassidy’s finger is cool against the skin of Sean’s thigh, and his breath catches in his throat.

“You don’t have to tell us what your deal is,” Finn says. “But we’ve all seen and done shit we aren’t proud of. You won’t get any judgement here.” 

The fire crackles and pops, and Sean watches its orange flames dance, casting shadows over-- he runs through their names again— _ Hannah, Penny, Jacob . . . Cassidy, of course . . . and Finn. _

It  _ feels _ like he can trust them.

Doesn’t mean he  _ should _ . 

Beside him, Daniel picks at a dirty thumbnail and suddenly stands up, his head almost clocking Sean in the face. “Come on, Sean, let’s go swim!”

“What?” Sean laughs. “It’s too cold,  _ enano _ .”

“Let’s at least go walk along the water,” Daniel says. “Or build a sandcastle! We haven’t built a sandcastle in  _ so _ long.” 

On the other side of the fire, Hannah hands a case of beer to Penny, who takes one before passing it to Jacob. Beside Sean, Cassidy picks up her guitar and strums a major chord. The fire is warm; the shore is wet and cold. 

Sean shakes his head. “I don’t think so, bro.” 

“ _ Please _ , Sean,” Daniel says, and here comes the lower lip. Sean glares, but Daniel crosses his arms, keeps pouting. Is Daniel going to throw a fucking tantrum in front of these people cool enough to maybe offer them a job? 

“I’ll build a sandcastle with you, little dude,” Finn says, standing up. 

Sean starts to protest, but Daniel is already bounding off with this dirty, dreadlocked almost-stranger towards the water. “Stay where I can see you!” Sean shouts as Finn and Daniel become silhouettes in the moonlight.

Sean watches as they kneel down to scoop sand with their hands, and Daniel’s laugh reaches him, carried over the sound of waves lapping the shoreline.

“Finn is a good guy,” Cassidy says, taking the case of beer from Jacob. “Mostly. Your brother will be fine.” 

She offers Sean a beer. Against Sean’s hand, the bottle is warm, like the liquid inside, but it doesn’t matter. The bitterness sloshes down Sean’s throat, and, shit, when was the last time he had a beer? It must have been that night when Ellery got so drunk he tried to sing the entire soundtrack to  _ High School Musical _ . 

Going to parties, having friends, high school—that seems like a million years ago, but, fuck, it has only been three lousy months.

Three months ago, Lyla, Ellery, and Adam would be sitting with him around this bonfire, and afterwards, Sean could stumble home and sleep in his bed, and Dad would push the door open to make sure he was there, and Sean would be  _ annoyed _ but also know he was safe and loved. 

Now, Sean sits with a bunch of strangers, homeless, making shit up as he goes and praying to a god he doesn’t believe in that it all doesn’t catch up to him. 

He would give  _ anything _ to have an annoying father to check in on him. 

“You okay, city boy?” Cassidy says.

Sean swigs his beer. “I’m fine.”

“Finn done told you that you don’t have to bullshit us,” she says. 

“I don’t want to get my mess all over everything,” Sean says. “But this is nice. I haven’t been able to chill out in a while.” 

Cassidy’s fingers strum the notes of another song, and her voice is even richer than Sean remembers it being back in Beaver Creek. Penny shares a story about some asshole who chased them out of a trainyard, and Hannah has one about fighting a cop. Jacob seems quiet but cool.

And as Sean finishes his beer, he realizes he is smiling. He can’t stumble home afterwards, but this is nice.

Against the ocean is the outline of the bumpy, igloo-like castle Sean’s brother and Finn were building.

But Daniel and Finn are nowhere to be seen. 


	6. Zeldanerdster

A panicked chill crept through his veins like ice water. Sean quickly shot to his feet and regretted it immediately as his head began to swim.  _ God, I’m a lightweight now, _ he thought, wobbling for a moment. His eyes panned one end of the horizon to the other, willing them with all his might to adjust to the soft glow of the moon after staring at the bright orange and yellow flames. 

“Daniel?” A pause, then nothing. “Daniel!” An echo in response.

Sean felt a brief, light touch on his shoulder for just a moment before dropping. It was a small gesture, but still full of self-consciousness. Sean whipped his head around, regretting it for the brief but intense sense of vertigo it caused, and was met by the meek look of concern on Jacob’s face. 

“They probably just took a walk. Did you want to go check with me? I think I’m gonna get some fresh air if you want the company,” the quiet boy offered.

“Sure man, thanks! Finn seems nice and all, but I don’t know him that well and Daniel shouldn’t have wandered off and with everything we’ve been through, I can’t belie—” Jacob held up his hand with a soft smile to calm Sean’s ramblings. 

“I completely understand,” he spoke evenly with a measured coolness of someone used to trying to de-escalate things. Sean was appreciative, if mildly annoyed. His new friend held the same tone his own father had used when the boy was on the verge of a breakdown. Jacob held out his hand in a “let’s go” fashion and began to walk down the beach. Sean followed.

“My sister, Sarah Lee, would wander off to go play all the time,” he continued. “She wasn’t the healthiest growing up and it seemed like I was the only one that thought a little sick kid left to their own devices was cause for concern.”

“Oh, shit man. I’m sorry. Is she doing ok?” Sean asked, feeling slightly guilty that he was only half-invested in the story as his eyes-darted through the darkness for signs of Daniel.

“Better than ever!” Sean was too anxious to notice that the other boy’s smile was a little too strong. His tone, a little too emphatic. The waves drowned out Jacob’s weary sigh.

They came to a pause at the remains of the castle as the waves slowly lapped away at it. Sean couldn’t help but smile. Jacob crouched to get a better look and snickered. “I think we can safely assume who contributed what to this…architectural endeavor.” To call it a rotunda would have been generous, but atop the rounded surface was a crudely drawn wolf head. Around the perimeter was a moat shaped suspiciously like a cannabis leaf. Sean’s eyes began to adjust in the cold light as the dark shape of footprints materialized. 

Jacob pointed ahead at the two sets, one big and one small, that trailed from the castle. “Not quite like the poster my parents gave me, but it’s a start.” Sean looked down at Jacob, slightly confused. Jacob rose to his feet and dusted the sand from his knees with a sad smirk. “Sorry, I forget most kids didn’t get inspirational Jesus decorations as a kid.” Sean considered this for a moment as he stared at the remains of the castle, now melting away in the frothy wash. 

“We are very different people, my friend.” Sean thought with a smile. “My room was full of skate and art stuff. Cool, but junk. And you know what’s funny? I miss the hell out of it,” Sean lamented.

“Me too,” Jacob sighed. “Nothing is perfect, but sometimes a few good things are worth all the bad.”

“Were things rough back home?” Sean turned to Jacob but the latter, pretending not to hear, had already quickened his pace as he slogged through the mucky sand of the rising tide.

“I think I see ‘em. HEY! FINN!” Jacob hollered over the sound of the nearby waves. In the distance, a small orange dot hovering in the distance turned in their direction. Sean squinted and he could make out the shaggy silhouette of a guy with a joint in hand, the other upraised in a friendly wave. Beside him was a much smaller child casting rocks into the ocean with the telltale wrist flick he was shown a lifetime ago.


	7. corazon_desnudo

Daniel didn’t even look up when Sean and Jacob finally reached him. He was too busy impressing Finn with his rock skipping skills, which Sean had to admit had gotten pretty good. But that didn’t lessen Sean’s irritation.

“Dude, I told you not to run off without telling me!”

“You were busy. And it’s not like we even went that far.” Daniel cocked back his arm, twisting his wrist the way Sean had shown him. Sean grabbed it before he could throw. 

“Daniel, I mean it.” 

“Sorry Sean,” Finn smiled apologetically. “It’s my bad. The little dude wanted to show off the moves his big bro taught him. But, we should have let you know where we were headed.” 

Sean let go of Daniel and took the joint Finn held out like a peace offering. Maybe he did need to relax. Daniel was okay, after all. 

“It’s fine. It’s just that Daniel’s my responsibility. I can’t let anything happen to him.”

“I’m not stupid—you don’t need to worry so much about me.” Daniel rolled his eyes. “You didn’t even want to hang out with me before.”

“He just cares about you, Daniel,” Jacob said, looking awkwardly at Sean. “Sorry to butt in. I just know how it is to worry about a younger sibling.” 

Finn wrapped his hands around Sean and Jacob’s shoulders. Was it just that Sean was buzzed, or were Finn’s fingers kind of massaging him through his shirt? 

“That’s what family’s for—to look out for each other. That’s why we formed our  _ own _ family out here. Sean, I don’t mean to pry, but are you two each other’s only family now?”

“Ummm,” Sean really didn’t want to go into it. “Well, it’s—”

“Hey Finn, go long!” 

Sean turned to see Cass holding a neon green frisbee. Finn’s dog was following behind her, its tail wagging excitedly as Cass spun the frisbee towards them. 

“Ahh, shit.” Finn ran to catch the disc, which veered off towards the water. 

The disc flew fast, but Finn was faster. He caught it easily, but didn’t see his dog, who jumped right up on top of him and yanked the disc out of Finn’s hand. Finn lost his balance, tumbling backwards into the water. The doggie dropped the disc and started licking his face.

“Get on off, ya big mutt.” Finn stood, wiping sand off him. 

Daniel snatched the disc off the ground, turning to Cass. “Can I try?” 

“Sure.” Cassidy looked like she was trying hard not to laugh at Finn as she held out her hands. “Bring it!” 

Daniel’s throw started off wobbly, but soon straightened as it picked up speed. Sean could see Daniel’s fingers moving subtly as the disc gilded right into Cass’ hands.

“Nice job, Daniel! You’ve got some real talent.” 

“And that’s saying something.” Finn grinned. “Cass here was the 2014 Texas disc golf champion.”

Daniel beamed at all the praise. Sean tried to give him the look. The one that meant  _ remember the rules _ , but Daniel avoided his gaze. 

“Y'all are missing the best part of the party. We should head back while there’s still beer left.” Cass inclined her head in the direction of the faint fire far down the beach.

“That party is boring.” Daniel pointed to a large grey building in the opposite direction, just off the beach. “What’s that? It looks like a fortress.”

“That’s the pulp factory. There’s a sweet view of the whole bay from the roof. You can see the Samoa bridge, and watch ships coming into the harbor all lit up at night.” Finn explained there was an access ladder that led up to the roof.

“Technically, it’s illegal to go up there. But, we didn’t see any guards last time.” Jacob shrugged.

“That sounds awesome! Can we go check it out, Sean? Please?” Daniel tugged at his sleeve.

“I’ll go with if you guys want. Jacob, you coming?” 

“I don’t know, aren’t you freezing wet?” 

“Just need a warmer shirt.” Finn said. “Maybe you could lend me your hoodie, Sean? I still got a joint safe and dry in my plastic baggie. We can chill up there.” 

“I bet Sean would prefer to chill by the fire.” Cass winked. “We got beer and plenty of snacks for Daniel.”

“But, I want to see the ships!” Daniel frowned.

Sean paused, feeling everyone’s eyes on him.


	8. Super_Wolf

“I don’t know Daniel, it sounds kinda dangerous.” Was he trying to convince his little brother, or himself? 

The thought of a can of beer next to the fire had been a fleeting one, and was quickly replaced by the memory of Finn’s hand on his shoulder, and his fingers rubbing into it, probably a bit harder than had actually happened. Fuck, maybe he’d imagined it. And aside from that, he could already feel the monumental temper tantrum coming from Mega-moan. 

He looked down at Daniel, who had the now-too-familiar grimace of a kid who thought he was far more mature than he actually was. 

He relented. “Okay, okay. But listen,  _ enano _ , you step exactly where I step when we get up to the top. Got it?” He pointed at Daniel, and then towards the factory, as if this would bring some authority to his instructions. 

“Yes!” Daniel jumped, and pumped his fists. 

Cassidy sighed. “Fine, you guys wanna go fall to your deaths, go ahead.  _ I’m _ going back for a drink.” Sean got the sense that this was a conversation they’d had many times before.

“Fine by me. Looks like it’ll be a boys’ night out.” Finn put his arms around Sean and Jacob again, and this time Sean definitely felt the grip tighten on his shoulder. Reflexively, he tensed up.

With that, Cassidy rolled her eyes and held her hands up, before turning to leave, defeated.

* * *

Finn, now clad in Sean’s worn hoodie, lifted Daniel up from the access ladder. Sean had sent him up first to make sure he didn’t slip, and followed shortly afterwards with Jacob. Night had fully fallen and there was an invigorating crispness to the air this high up. It almost burned Sean’s nose as he stopped to close his eyes and breathe it in. 

The roof itself was pretty barren, meaning they didn’t need to be too careful. Not that that mattered much to Daniel, who ran ahead anyway, leaning against the ledge to look down at the lights illuminating the factory grounds. 

“So cool!” he said, watching the night workers go about their business, like ants in an ant farm. 

“Soak it up little man, and keep your eyes on the horizon. The lights from the ships on the water as they’re coming in is something else.” Finn sat down on a nearby AC unit and turned his attention to Sean and Jacob. “I have something a little different in mind for us.” He reached into a bag he’d brought along and pulled out three bottles of beer. Cracking the caps off with his teeth, he passed them around.

“Shit, Finn, this is the good stuff.” Sean checked the label. Yeah, this can’t have been cheap. 

“Well, I  _ was _ saving it for a special occasion but, fuck it, seeing you two pups again is special enough.” 

Sean wanted to hate being called that, but he found it comforting to have someone actually watching out for him again. These guys were pretty tight, and that was something he and Daniel definitely needed right now.

“Anyway,” Finn continued, “I’ve got an idea.” He paused for a moment. Sean thought maybe he was used to someone else shutting him down before he could share his ‘ideas’. “How about we play a little game of ‘never have I ever?’” 

“Uh…”

“Come on, you want to get to know us better, and likewise.” Finn pulled out his joint. “And don’t worry, you’ve got this to take the edge off.” 

“This’ll be… interesting,” Jacob said.

Like a dog that had caught a whiff of dinner being made, Daniel came rushing back over. “Are we playing a game? Can I have a drink?” Sean caught his hand as it was reaching towards the bag.

“Don’t worry Daniel, I’ve got you covered too.” Finn reached in and tossed him out a can of coke. “None of the hard stuff though. Sorry.” 

He was annoyingly calm at that, and Sean could only imagine the earache he would have gotten had he been the one to say it.

“Okay, but I still want to play!” Daniel cracked the can open and took a huge gulp. “Wait, what  _ are _ we playing.” 

“Don’t worry man, you can watch along and see.” He turned to look at Sean, like he was measuring him up. “What do you say my man, up for a game?” 


	9. HollowK

“Okay, sure. Let’s do this.” Sean agreed to the game. He had nothing to lose by playing, right?

“That’s what I like to hear. I’ll start with an easy one, let’s see... Never have I ever had to dumpster dive for lunch,” Finn said, casually, as if he were talking about ordering a pizza.

Everyone took a sip.

“Finding some common ground here, aren’t we. Nothing opens up an appetite like an empty stomach, am I right lads?”

“Yeah, but I hope I never have to eat ravioli in my life again. Ever,” Daniel said, sticking his tongue out in disgust. Finn and Jake chuckled at Daniel’s comments.

“Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad,  _ enano _ .” Sean also got sick of the ravioli, but took some offense to his cooking. He did his best with what he had.

“Jake, you’re up,” said Finn.

“Ugh, I’m not really good at this game. Never have I ever…wished I was someone else.”

“Wow Jake, bringing the heavy stuff in, huh? I respect that.”

Sean and Jake both drank. 

“Really, never even once?” Sean asked looking directly at Finn.

He chuckled a little before giving his answer. “That’s a no go, amigo. Life is too short to pretend to be someone you’re not, sweetheart. As far as I’m concerned there’s only one Finn McNamara out here, and he is living.”

“That’s pretty awesome. I wish I was that comfortable in my own skin.”

“My turn! Okay huh… Oh I got one! Never have I ever peed my pants in school!” Daniel said, looking directly at Sean with an enormous grin on his face.

“Dude, really?” Sean angrily reacted to Daniel’s choice for the game.

“Well have you, Sean?” Finn asked with a mocking smile in his lips.

Sean sighed deeply before taking a sip of the beer. “It was one time, in second grade. You are a brat, you know that?” He stared daggers at Daniel.

“Relax sweetie, we’re among friends here. Besides, now it’s your chance to embarrass us. Use it wisely.”

“Ok. Here goes. Never have I ever…”

* * *

The game went on for several rounds, giving way to a number of anecdotes, mostly Finn talking about some crazy experience or other after drinking practically every turn. Sean was a little tipsy, Jacob had barely any beer, while Finn was nearly done with his, but showing no sign of drunkenness. Daniel was struggling to keep his eyes open, but the busy day was starting to take a toll on him.

“This was really fun, but I think we should go back down, while I’m still in condition to do it, and before I have to carry Daniel too.”

“No way, Sean! I’m not tired yet.” Daniel said, yawning immediately after.

“You’re not fooling anyone,  _ enano _ .”

“It’s okay, little dude. We’ll have plenty of time to hang out any time you want to little dude. And don’t you think I’m done getting to know you either, Sean Diaz.” Finn said, with a smirk on his face and a hand on Sean’s shoulder, as the boys got up to leave.

The moon was bright in the sky and the fresh breeze of the ocean touched his skin.  _ I could get used to this, _ Sean thought. It had been so long since he got to hang out with people his own age. But then he looked at Daniel, rubbing his eyes trying to fight the urge to sleep, and he snapped back to reality.

“Come on,  _ enano _ . I think it’s past your bedtime.”

Jacob was the first to go down the access ladder, and Sean was right behind him. He wanted to make sure that he went before Daniel, to catch him in case he fell down in his sleepy boy state. But Sean’s head was spinning and as he went for the first step down the ladder, he missed.

Panic overtook as he felt his body lean backwards, towards the ground below. But before he could really fall, Finn’s hand found his arm and quickly pulled him back to the roof, with Sean falling on top of Finn

“You okay sweetie? That would have been a nasty fall,” he asked calmly.

But Sean’s attention wasn’t on Finn, it was on Daniel. And he looked as scared as Sean had been a couple seconds ago, with his arm outstretched in a way he had seen him do a hundred times by now.

“Sean?” Finn asked again, with a hint of worry in his tone.


	10. darkjaden825698 (again)

“I’m fine,” Sean sputtered, feeling his cheeks heat up and pushing himself off of Finn. “S-sorry.”

Finn picked himself up and dusted off his pants. “No worries sweetheart, not the first time I’ve had a hottie on top of me.”

He winked, and Sean’s face grew hotter. What the fuck was that supposed to mean? That was just Finn drunk-babbling.

Right?

“Sean! Are you okay?” Daniel scurried over and cautiously wrapped his arms around him, like he was afraid Sean would break if he squeezed too hard.

“Yeah, I’m fine,  _ enano _ ,” he said. “Finn was...he caught me.”

Daniel looked over at Finn bashfully. “Thanks, Finn.”

“Ah, don’t mention it li’l guy.” Finn ruffled Daniel’s hair and made his way towards the ladder. “I know you’d both have done the same for me.”

Once Finn was at the bottom, he stayed at the foot of the ladder and looked up. Sean carefully took the first step down the ladder, scared it might suddenly become incorporeal again. Thankfully, it remained solid, and he managed to climb all the way to the bottom. Finn helped him off the ladder—which felt a little patronizing, or it would, coming from anybody else. Sean felt Finn’s fingertips graze his sides as his shirt rode up, and immediately his entire body went nuclear. He jumped at the touch, nearly tripping on the ladder again.

“Sorry, sweetheart. You okay?”

“Y-yeah. Fine.”

“Jeez, Sean. You’re clumsy when you’re drunk!” Daniel laughed, following him closely down the ladder.

“Shut up!” Sean chided. “I’m not even that drunk,” he added under his breath.

But as they all started heading back towards the main group, Sean stumbled despite himself, proving Daniel right and making him snicker at Sean as he scrambled to catch up with Finn and the others.

* * *

Sean wasn’t drunk. Really. For serious. But his head was feeling pretty light, and his heart was warm and he was just a little bit giggly and fuck. He’s a total lightweight, isn’t he?

Daniel had passed out, curled up to Finn as they sat around the campfire, giving Sean a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Then Finn wrapped his arm around Daniel and gave his shoulder a little squeeze, and Sean’s heart grew heavy. God, was he, like...jealous?

Soon, Sean’s eyelids started to feel heavy, too. He wasn’t the only one, either. Everybody seemed to be dozing off a little bit. Jake was more or less passed out, resting his shoulder up against Hannah’s, who seemed moderately displeased with the situation, but too stoned to really care. Penny was knocked completely unconscious, and was sprawled out on the ground in front of the fire. Meanwhile Cass sat absently plucking the strings of her guitar, playing a calm melody to aid in the serenity of the moment.

And it really was serene, this moment. It was probably the calmest moment Sean has had since Seattle. Every day since then, he’d been worried about one thing or another—about Daniel, about his powers, about getting caught by the police, or running into another batch of racist assholes who might tie them up in the back of their gas station. But right now, he felt at peace. Safe. Surrounded by friends, with a light hazy mist over his mind, Sean felt safe for the first time in a long time. 

Finn caught his dreamy smile, and grinned. “You alright there, sweetheart?”

Sean nodded. “Sleepy.”

Finn gestured to the spot next to him, motioning for Sean to come and join him. Sean downed the last of his beer—which he just now realized has been sitting there for like, twenty minutes completely untouched—and got up to sit down next to Finn.

And he only stumbled once on the way over!

He took a seat, yawning as he plopped down, and reached across Finn’s chest to ruffle the hair of a sleeping Daniel. He stirred, groaning and turning away in his sleep. Finn chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothin’, nothin’,” he said. “Y’all just reminded me of someone.”

“Oh? Who?”

Finn shrugged. He reached out with his other arm and pulled Sean close to him. And maybe it was because Sean was a little buzzed, but he didn’t actually mind. From the other side of the fire pit, Cass smiled and rolled her eyes, but kept plucking away at her guitar. The tune was just starting to become familiar when Sean felt his consciousness slipping.


End file.
